Paint container

ABSTRACT

A paint container comprises a box ( 104 ) supporting a sealed bag ( 102 ) within its interior. The bag ( 102 ) is fabricated from a paint impermeable material and contains the paint. Alternatively the box may have a paint impermeable inner surface so that no bag is required.

The present invention relates to paint containers and in particular to, but not exclusively to, paint containers for use with line marking apparatus.

Conventional line marking apparatus have been used for many years to mark out playing areas, for example football pitches, rugby pitches and athletics tracks.

A typical conventional line marking apparatus comprises a paint reservoir mounted on three wheels arranged in a triangular formation with a single front wheel and two rear wheels. The front wheel is referred to as the “painting wheel”, and applies paint onto a playing area. A wheel, referred to as the reservoir wheel, is mounted within a paint reservoir, and a paint transfer wheel rests upon both the painting wheel and the reservoir wheel.

In use, an operator pushes the apparatus around the area to be marked, causing the painting wheel to rotate and thereby driving the transfer wheel. The transfer wheel consequentially drives the reservoir wheel. The reservoir wheel picks up paint from the paint reservoir and passes it, via the transfer wheel, to the painting wheel. The painting wheel must be maintained in contact with the area to be marked so that it rotates continuously, thereby continuously applying paint.

Line marking apparatus with spray nozzle rather than a painting wheel are also known.

Prior to use, the reservoir is filled with paint from a cylindrical paint container or ‘drum’. The reservoir generally has a hole covered by a cap, the cap being fixed to the hole by means of reciprocal screw threads. Once the reservoir is filled, the cylindrical paint container is disposed of.

It is an aim of an embodiment of the present invention to provide an improved paint container and particularly but not exclusively a paint container suitable for filling a line marking apparatus.

According to the first aspect of the present invention there is provided a product comprising a container containing paint, wherein the container comprises a box supporting a sealed bag within its interior, the bag being fabricated from a paint impermeable material and containing said paint.

The box and the bag may be readily collapsible and recyclable thereby avoiding disposal problems associated with conventional paint drums and the like.

Preferably the box is fabricated from a material selected from pasteboard, paperboard, cardboard, and boxboard.

The bag is preferably fabricated from a plastics material.

The bag is preferably provided with a resealable opening for filling said bag with paint and/or dispensing paint from said bag.

The bag is adhered or otherwise attached to an inner wall of the box.

A portion of said box may be opened or detached to provide access to said bag for dispensing said paint. For instance the box may have a lid which can be opened to expose the bag and any pouring nozzle provide by the bag. Alternatively, the bag may have a resealable nozzle which protrudes through an aperture in the box.

The box is configured to tessellate with other boxes of the same configuration. Providing tessellating boxes improves efficiency of storage and transport (for instance reducing the cost and pollution associated with transport).

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a product comprising a container containing a paint, wherein the container comprises a sealed box substantially fabricated from a pasteboard, paperboard, cardboard, or boxboard material and having an interior surface, wherein the interior surface is paint impermeable.

The container may for instance have the features of a carton of the type conventionally used for containing drinking fluids and other food stuffs.

The box may have a laminate structure, said paint impermeable surface being provided by a layer or film of paint impermeable material.

The interior surface of the box may alternatively be treated with a paint impermeable substance. The interior surface of the box may for instance be waxed.

The box is preferably provided with a resealable opening for filling and/or dispensing paint.

The container may typically be adapted to hold between 1 and 20 litres of paint.

The paint preferably has a viscosity of less than 1500 centipoise, more preferably still less than 1000 centipoise, and most preferably less than 800 centipoise.

Preferred paint compositions include synthetic colloidal clay. Synthetic colloidal clay is a high efficiency thixotropic synthetic smectite which hydrates at high solid content and remains pourable for extended periods of time. The addition of synthetic colloidal clay to a paint composition allows the amount of conventional thickness to be reduced significantly for the corresponding reduction in viscosity whilst maintaining the paint in suspension.

For instance, paint may comprise between 0.001 kg and 0.006 kg of synthetic colloidal clay per litre of paint. The addition of such small quantities of synthetic colloidal clay has been found to allow a reduction in connectional thickeners, such as acrylamide copolymer by as such as 90% significantly reducing viscosity whilst maintaining the paint in suspension.

Preferred paints comprise at least 10% solids by weight, more preferably at least 20% solids by weight, and most preferably at least 30% solids by weight.

The paint may be a line marking paint. A line marking paint is a paint used to mark lines or other indicia on ground surfaces, e.g. lines marking a playing area such as a football pitch.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of marking lines or other indicia on a ground surface using line marking apparatus comprising a body supported on ground engaging wheels, the body being provided with a paint reservoir and means for dispensing the paint, the method comprising filling the reservoir with paint using a product according to the first or second aspect of the invention, and dispensing said paint onto the grass or other sports surface.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of part of a conventional line marking apparatus;

FIGS. 2 a, 2 b and 2 c are schematic diagrams of a paint container, or part of a paint container, in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b are a perspective view and a cross-section of a pouring means that may form part of an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 4 a, 4 b and 4 c are perspective views of a paint container in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

The line marking apparatus shown in FIG. 1 comprises four ground engaging wheels 1 a-d mounted on a frame 2 which supports a paint reservoir 3. The frame extends upwards to include handles (not shown) that allow the apparatus to be pushed across a surface by an operator.

A line painting wheel 4 is disposed so that when the apparatus is in use, the wheel comes into contact with the surface. A transfer wheel 9 is rotatably mounted on the frame 2 and held in permanent contact with the painting wheel 4 so that when the painting wheel rotates so to does the transfer wheel 9. Referring to FIG. 1, a further wheel, referred to as the reservoir wheel (not shown), is mounted within the reservoir 3. An opening 10 is provided in a front wall of the reservoir 3. The reservoir wheel is located immediately behind the opening, and the transfer wheel 9 rests upon the reservoir wheel through the opening.

In use, the reservoir 3 is filled with paint via plug 17 b, and an operator pushes the apparatus over a surface. Rotation of the front right hand wheel 1 b of the apparatus causes translation of the belt 14, which in turn causes forward rotation of the painting wheel 4. Forward rotation of the painting wheel 4 drives the transfer wheel 8 to rotate backwards, which in turn drives the reservoir wheel to rotate forwards. Paint in the reservoir 3 is picked up by the reservoir wheel, and is transferred to the painting wheel 4 via the transfer wheel 8.

As an alternative to the use of a wheel to transfer paint to the ground, line marking apparatus including a spray nozzle is also known.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, these illustrate a first embodiment of a paint container in accordance with the present invention which is particularly suitable for use in filling the reservoir of a line marking apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 2, the illustrated paint container 100 comprises a paint impermeable bag 102 supported inside a box 104. The bag 102 is filled with paint 106 and when full assumes the shape of the interior of the box 104, bearing in mind that the structure of the bag is not self-supporting. The bag is provided with a pouring means 108 disposed at its top for dispensing the paint 106. The box 104 is provided with a cut-out handle 107 on the top and bottom to aid in lifting the box both for transport and dispensing of the paint. All emotively, or additionally, handles may be provided in the sides of the box.

The pouring means 108 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b is a reinforced hole 110 in the bag 102. The hole 110 has a neck 112 that projects away from the bag 102. On the exterior of the neck, three flanges 113, 114, 115 are provided, a first flange 113, a second flange 114 and a connecting flange 115, at different distances from the bag. The connecting flange 115 is the flange farthest away from the bag 102 and is smaller in diameter by a few millimetres than the first and second flanges 113, 114.

A lid 116 can be permanently fixed to the bag 102 by means of a snap fit connection on to the connecting flange 115.

The lid 116 is approximately cylindrical in shape with an internal bore 118 that fits inside the neck 112 of the hole. The lid 116 also has a flange 120 that extends outwards away from the bore 118. From the lid flange 120, an annular wall 121 projects downwards and on the end of this annular wall 121 there is detent 122 projecting inwards.

The lid 116 can be permanently fitted onto the neck 112 of the hole 110 by:

-   -   (1) aligning the internal bore 118 of the lid 116 with the hole         106;     -   (2) aligning annular wall 121 of the lid 116 with the end of the         connecting flange 115 of the neck 112; and     -   (3) by pushing the lid 116 towards the hole.

In this way, the annular wall 121, and the detent 122, will be pushed away from the connecting flange 112, allowing the lid 116 to move towards the hole. The annular wall 121, once the detent 122 is past the connecting flange 115, will snap into position, gripping the connecting flange 115.

The lid 116 is also provided with a spout 124 for helping direct the flow of fluid towards the reservoir of the line marking apparatus. Further, the lid is also connected to a cap 126 by means of a hinge 128. The cap 126 can be snapped shut by means of a lip 130 that is broader than the internal bore 118 and so seal the bag 102.

Furthermore, inside the internal bore 118 of the lid 116 is a ring-pull 132. Once the bag 102 is filled, it can be sealed shut by the ring pull 132, until use, whereupon the ring pull 132 is removed. The lid cap 126 can then be used to reseal the bag as required.

The top of the box is made from four flaps: two symmetric opposing flaps 140 a, 140 b, a perforated flap 140 c, and a fourth flap 140 d (not shown) opposite the perforated flap 140 c. The perforated flap 140 c has two perforated lines, a first line 142 defining a circle the same size as the outside of the neck 112 of the bag 102 and a second line 144 defining three sides of a rectangle and thus a tongue 146 that is free to pivot about the fourth side of the rectangle. The first line 142 is located in the centre of the middle part of the second line 144 so that when the perforated circle is removed, a semi-circle 148 is missing from the edge of the tongue 146.

Prior to use, the first perforated line 142 is broken and so a circular piece of cardboard can be removed from the box 104. The neck 112 of the bag 102 is pulled through the circular hole by raising the tongue 146. The semi-circular hole 148 in the tongue 146 is placed between the first and second flanges 113, 114 of the neck 112. The tongue 146 is pushed down so that it is substantially co-planar with the other flaps of the box and the neck 112 is pinned in position by the first and second flanges, the tongue 146 and the remainder of the perforated flap 140 c.

The paint container of the present invention is entirely collapsible when empty, which makes it particularly convenient to dispose of. Moreover, the materials may be entirely recyclable. For instance, the box may be made from a cardboard or similar material and the bag may be made from a recyclable plastics material such as a monomeric recyclable polyethylene or a LDPE. The pouring means 108 may also be made of a recyclable plastics material such as a monomeric recyclable polyethylene or LDPE. Thus, in preferred embodiments of the present invention, not only do the container materials take up very little volume when empty, but they may also be recycled in conventional recycling processes.

An alternative paint container, which is in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, is illustrated in FIGS. 4 a, 4 b and 4 c.

The container 200 is formed by a recyclable box 202 made from different layers of material adhered together. The outer most layer 204 is made of cardboard and the inner most layer 206 is made of a paint impermeable material such as polyethylene. The two layers are adhered together by a glue 208 such as PVC. The container is therefore made from recyclable materials and as such is itself recyclable. FIG. 4 a shows such a container with a corner 207 cut away exposing its layered nature.

By means of the inner paint impermeable layer 206, the paint container 200 can hold paint and by means of the outer cardboard layer 204, the paint container has a required structural strength for transportation.

The container is formed from a sheet material that is then folded and glued into the shape of an open top box. The paint is then poured into the box. Sealing the sides together along a seam 210 and folding the top flaps of the box causes the container to take the cuboidal shape shown in FIG. 4 a.

As shown in FIG. 4 b, the container shape is manipulable so that a flap 212 can be made to protrude. By removing a segment 214 of this flap 212, as shown in FIG. 4 c, a hole 216 in the container 200 suitable for pouring the paint from is formed.

As an alterative from forming the box of a layered structure, the interior of a cardboard box may simply be treated with a suitable paint impermeable material. Alternatively, the box could be made entirely of a material which is both paint impermeable and has the necessary structural rigidity to support the paint whilst at the dame time being readily collapsible when empty.

The paint containers according to the present invention may be used to contain any conventional paint but are particularly suitable for containing relatively low viscosity paints as for instance disclosed in UK Patent No. 2247690. This discloses paint compositions is particularly suitable for use with the present invention including:

-   -   paint mixed with water and a non-aqueous dispersion of         thickening agent;     -   titanium dioxide based paint;     -   paint that contains one or more additives selected from a         filler, an anti foaming agent, a dispersant, a biocide and a         binder; and     -   a mixture of the following ingredients in the quantities stated:         -   TitaniumDioxide 50 kgm         -   China Clay 12.5 kgm         -   Anti-Foaming Agent 0.4 kgm         -   Dispersant 0.4 kgm         -   Biocide 4.0 kgm         -   Binder 25 kgm         -   Water 700 kgm     -   Where these ingredients are thoroughly mixed prior to the         addition of 4.8 kgm of the non-aqueous dispersion of thickening         agent, and the non-aqueous dispersion comprises:         -   Acrylamide Copolymer 60 (% w/w)         -   Odourless Kerosene 40(% w/w).

The paint as disclosed above has a viscosity of the order of 1500 centipoise. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the viscosity of this paint, or indeed the viscosity of any other conventional paint, may be reduced to below 1500 centipoise by the addition of synthetic colloidal clay. The synthetic colloidal clay is a very high efficiency thixotropic synthetic smectite additive which hydrates at relatively high paint solid levels and remains pourable for extended periods. The addition of synthetic colloidal clay to paint has be found by the inventors to allow significantly reduce amounts of content and thickness to be used thereby significantly reducing viscosity without detriment to the solids content of the paint, in other words, without detriment to the qualities of the paint when applied to a surface (as for instance in line-marking). For instance, the addition of about 0.003 kg of synthetic colloidal clay per litre of paint as disclosed in UK Patent number 2247690 can enable reduction in the thickener acrylamide copolymer by about 90% so that the non-aqueous dispersion comprises only about 6% w/w acrylamide copolymer, the remainder for instance being kerosene and the synthetic colloidal clay.

Preferred paints for use with the present invention have a relatively high solids content (for instance greater than about 30% solids by weight—and preferably between 40% and 50%) and can include 0.001 kg to 0.006 kg, preferably 0.003 kg, of synthetic colloidal clay per litre of paint as an additive.

Addition of about 0.003 kg of synthetic colloidal clay per litre of paint as disclosed in UK Patent No. 2247690 has been shown to reduce the viscosity of the paint by about 480-600 centipoise as measured on a Brookfield RV viscometer spindle 2 speed 20 on a factor of 20.

Such reduced viscosity paints are particularly suitable for use with line marking apparatus comprising a spray nozzle rather than a paint application wheel.

Whilst as mentioned above, the container according to the present invention is particularly suitable for containing paint for use in line marking the invention is not limited to such applications. Similarly, although the container is particularly suitable for containing relatively low viscosity paints, the containers are not limited to such uses.

Other possible modifications of the embodiments of the invention will be readily apparent to the appropriately skilled person. 

1. A product comprising a container containing paint, wherein the container comprises a box supporting a sealed bag within its interior, the bag being fabricated from a paint impermeable material and containing said paint.
 2. A product according to claim 1, wherein said box is fabricated from a material selected from pasteboard, paper board, cardboard, and boxboard.
 3. A product according to claim 1, wherein the bag is fabricated from a plastics material.
 4. A product according to claim 1, wherein the bag is provided with a resealable opening for filling said bag with paint and/or dispensing paint from said bag.
 5. A product according to claim 4, wherein said opening is defined by a neck adapted to receive a removable cap.
 6. A product according to claim 5, wherein the neck defines a pouring spout.
 7. A product according to claim 1, wherein said bag is adhered or otherwise attached to an inner wall of the box.
 8. A product according to claim 1, wherein a portion of said box may be opened or detached to provide access to said bag for dispensing said paint.
 9. A product according to claim 1, wherein the box is configured to tessellate with other boxes of the same configuration.
 10. A product according to claim 9, wherein the box comprises six rectilinear sides.
 11. A product comprising a container containing a paint, wherein the container comprises a sealed box substantially fabricated from a pasteboard, paperboard, cardboard, or boxboard material and having an interior surface, wherein the interior surface is paint impermeable.
 12. A product according to claim 11, wherein the box has a laminate structure, said paint impermeable surface being provided by a layer of paint impermeable material.
 13. A product according to claim 11, wherein the interior surface of the box is treated with a paint impermeable substance.
 14. A product according to claim 11, wherein the interior surface of the box is covered with a paint impermeable film.
 15. A product according to of claim 11, wherein the box is provided with a resealable opening for filling and/or dispensing paint.
 16. A product according to claim 11, wherein the box is configured so as to tessellate with other boxes of the same configuration.
 17. A product according to claim 1, wherein the container is adapted to hold between 1 and 20 litres of paint.
 18. A product according to claim 17, wherein the container is adapted to hold between 1 and 5 litres of paint.
 19. A product according to claim 18, wherein the container is adapted to hold about 3 litres of paint.
 20. A product according to claim 1, wherein the paint has a viscosity of less than 1500 centipoise.
 21. A product according to claim 20, wherein the paint has a viscosity of less than 1000 centipoise.
 22. A product according to claim 21, wherein the paint has a viscosity of less than 800 centipoise.
 23. A product according to claim 1, wherein the paint includes synthetic colloidal clay.
 24. A product according to claim 23, wherein the paint comprises between 0.001 kg and 0.006 kg of synthetic colloidal clay per litre of paint.
 25. A product according to claim 24, wherein the paint comprises about 0.003 kg of synthetic colloidal clay per litre of paint.
 26. A product according to claim 1, wherein the paint comprises at least 10% solids by weight.
 27. A product according to claim 26, wherein the paint comprises at least 40% solids by weight.
 28. A product according to claim 27, wherein the paint comprises at least 50% solids by weight.
 29. A product according to claim 26, wherein the paint comprises between 40% and 50% solids by weight.
 30. A product according to claim 1, wherein the paint is a line marking paint.
 31. A method of marking lines or other indicia on a ground surface using line marking apparatus comprising a body supported on ground engaging wheels, the body being provided with a paint reservoir and means for dispensing the paint, the method comprising: filling the reservoir with paint from a paint container comprising a box supporting a sealed bag within its interior, the bag being fabricated from a paint impermeable material and containing said paint; and dispensing said paint onto the grass or other sports surface.
 32. A method of marking lines or other indicia on a ground surface using line marking apparatus comprising a body supported on ground engaging wheels, the body being provided with a paint reservoir and means for dispensing the paint, the method comprising: filling the reservoir with paint from a paint container comprising a sealed box substantially fabricated from a pasteboard, paperboard, cardboard, or boxboard material and having an interior surface, wherein the interior surface is paint impermeable. 